ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Eye

[JBLAKE]

Just finished watching ANH again.

A few questions I have that some of you may have actual answers or theories on.

1 When Obi Wan is training Luke with the remote on the Millennium Falcon he gives Luke a blastshield helmet. Who's helmet is it actually? Is it Han's he has laying around on his ship? I did not see Obi wan bring anything on board? Pretty neat helmet if it has an actual backstory that makes it even cooler.

2. I noticed when Obi Wan and Luke find the slaughtered Jawas at the sandcrawler Luke says to Obi Wan " if they traced the ROBOTS here "
this is the only time I remember in the Original Trilogy hearing anyone call them or any other DROID Robots in the OT.
I remember for instance " take these 2 droids and get them cleaned up "
"as a gift I offer you these 2 droids " so on and so forth. Was there any other time they were called ROBOTS I am not recalling right now. Was that a dialogue slip up?
Just really curious.

3. This is more of a really cool observation than a question. When Luke is talking to Ben in Ben's Home and working on 3PO Luke turns to Obi and says " you fought in the clone wars " and at the moment when Luke is saying the lines there are 2 shiny diamond like shiny glints in Luke's left eye. To me even as a child I always remembered this even from the 1st I saw the movie in theatres. What it meant to me was his Good side/Light side was showing through. It is just a really lucky camera catch of light in the background in his left eye at that moment but every time I see that part it is really awesome of what it means to me.
Just curious if anyone else noticed it or it meant anything to them.

2 other things that will probably never be explained but what was the Vader Line they erased when he was talking to tarkin alone waving his fist in the air
and who heck for goodness sake was flying that Y Wing away from the 1st Death Star blast. Who is he and what was his excuse.

Please discuss

Is this the

 

[Bryancd]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

1. I always assumed the helmet was on the Falcon and belonged to Han. Not sure exactly what it might be used for, I suppose a blast shield is to offer protection.
2. Likely just a continuity error in the script that day.
3. Most likely the stage lighting and totally inadvertant.

 

[mkstewartesq]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

(Raises hand)

Um, excuse me, but I have a question, as this never made any sense to me, but I am willing to become educated:

Why in the world would what looks to be a fighter pilot helmet ever have a blast shield that completely obscures the vision of the wearer? What, do you flip it down when there is a blast coming and then hopefully flip it back up in time to make sure you haven't rammed into another ship or something?

Just does not seem terribly practical to me, but maybe I'm missing something.

M

 

[Wolfsburg]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Could be a blind for learning to fly ships by instruments only?

 

[Treadwell]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

1. It was there because the script needed it to be there. Why Han had it has never been explained (nor should it, see the EU gripes thread )

2. It is "robots" in the Revised 4th draft shooting script, which is what they were using.* Lucas tended to call them that in conversation, and so does Hamill.

3. Can't say that I have.

*in which Luke's last name is Starkiller. The change was made long after they'd been shooting back at Elstree.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Interesting fact: The scene in Bens hut was written in the script and filmed in a different order than the way it is in the movie.

Originally Luke and Ben watch Leia'a holograph message first, then talk about the clone wars and Luke leaving with Ben.

Editor Paul Hirsh said they cut the scene out of order because it's didn't feel right to have Leia plead for Obi-Wans help, and then just sit there and shoot the breeze
about Luke's father.

He said it was cut so that right after Leia's message it would feel urgent that they had to leave and go rescue Leia.

The big 'tell' of this editing is to notice Luke is working on C-3po in the beginning of the scene, then C-3po shuts down while Luke uses his Lightsaber, then they talk about Vader and the Force, and when Ben goes to see about the message in R2-D2 Luke is back to fixing C-3po's arm.

Originally Luke would have been fixing C-3po's arm, Ben plays the message, they talk about Luke's father and Luke uses the saber, then Ben encourages him to leave to save her.

 

[Riceball]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Could be a blind for learning to fly ships by instruments only?

The only problem with that idea is that you still have to be able to see the instruments, with the blast shield of that helmet down you're not going to be seeing anything but the inside of that blast shield.

The only thing that I can think of that makes any sense is that maybe Han had it around for the exact same thing Ben had Luke use it for, to train himself in using and trusting his senses. You figure, he also conveniently had that training drone on board, so maybe Han liked practicing blind fighting and trusting only what he can hear and what his gut tells him. So that way, if he ever gets in a gun fight in the dark he's not at a severe disadvantage.

 

[glunark]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Maybe Han puts it on to sleep, could have some white noise inside to help cover the sound of wookie snores.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

1 When Obi Wan is training Luke with the remote on the Millennium Falcon he gives Luke a blastshield helmet. Who's helmet is it actually? Is it Han's he has laying around on his ship? I did not see Obi wan bring anything on board? Pretty neat helmet if it has an actual backstory that makes it even cooler.

I presume another memento of Han's Imperial service. Remember the Rebel pilots were supposed to be former Imperials who'd bailed when the Empire got brutal. The helmet decos were fighter squadrons that no longer existed as the Empire eliminated individuality and flash amongst its military. That helmet shows up again on a pilot in the Battle of Endor. And the blast shield isn't always down. It's like a dual-visor flight helmet like we have now -- one translucent, one opaque.

2. I noticed when Obi Wan and Luke find the slaughtered Jawas at the sandcrawler Luke says to Obi Wan " if they traced the ROBOTS here "
this is the only time I remember in the Original Trilogy hearing anyone call them or any other DROID Robots in the OT.
I remember for instance " take these 2 droids and get them cleaned up "
"as a gift I offer you these 2 droids " so on and so forth. Was there any other time they were called ROBOTS I am not recalling right now. Was that a dialogue slip up?
Just really curious.

One glitch I wish they'd redubbed for one of the Special Editions...

3. This is more of a really cool observation than a question. When Luke is talking to Ben in Ben's Home and working on 3PO Luke turns to Obi and says " you fought in the clone wars " and at the moment when Luke is saying the lines there are 2 shiny diamond like shiny glints in Luke's left eye. To me even as a child I always remembered this even from the 1st I saw the movie in theatres. What it meant to me was his Good side/Light side was showing through. It is just a really lucky camera catch of light in the background in his left eye at that moment but every time I see that part it is really awesome of what it means to me.
Just curious if anyone else noticed it or it meant anything to them.

Never caught that. I'm guessing luck of the angle.

2 other things that will probably never be explained but what was the Vader Line they erased when he was talking to tarkin alone waving his fist in the air

I used to know this...

and who heck for goodness sake was flying that Y Wing away from the 1st Death Star blast. Who is he and what was his excuse.

The EU had some ideas, but that's all been flushed. I just presume that ship and Wedge are the two laggers, along with Luke and the Falcon. I figured the "high cover" fighters had already headed back to base once Luke's shot went in and they were somewhere just behind the camera. After all, look at how many fighters are in the hangar after Luke lands. Plus all the pilots in the award ceremony. Those three weren't the only survivors.

--Jonah

 

[DINVADER]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

I just figured they were called droids 95 percent of the time and Luke just used "robots" that one time. You can call an object by more than one name.

 

[Laspector]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Plus there is no way that visor would slide up back into that helmet.

 

[SmilingOtter]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

The helmet could have a HUD on the inside of the visor, it just wasn't activated when Luke was using it.

I'm just as curious about the training remote. Obi-Wan could have popped it into his belt pouch as they were leaving his hut, but I'm not sure it would fit. Or it could be Han's, and he used it to blast the space mice that were infesting the Falcon.

 

[Solo4114]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

The helmet could have a HUD on the inside of the visor, it just wasn't activated when Luke was using it.

I'm just as curious about the training remote. Obi-Wan could have popped it into his belt pouch as they were leaving his hut, but I'm not sure it would fit. Or it could be Han's, and he used it to blast the space mice that were infesting the Falcon.

This probably makes the most sense. The "blast shield" is intended to be used in combat situations where there are lots of explosions and/or other lights that will distract. The shield has a built-in HUD that displays instruments and visuals, but autodims to block too much light that might otherwise blind the pilot. It's a more sophisticated helmet than we see the rebel pilots use in the final battle, but they may have just been using what was handy/cheap/could be stolen effectively from old stockyards.

You could make up a backstory for it (e.g. Han won it in a bet from a Corellian security forces pilot before he left for the academy, and just brought it along with him, but never used it, treating it more like a good luck charm). But really it's just there because they need to blind Luke in the fight and wanted to use a helmet instead of just a basic blindfold.

 

[Krull]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Never thought of the helmet but I can think of two things:

It could be for a gunner on a fighter/bomber,the pilot flies and the other guy concentrates on his job (like the talk of it having a built in hud,just not for the guy flying)

As for what Han has it for? well he could just have it in his cargo or he could have it set up for a welding helmet.

 

[Laspector]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

But it is specifically said "With the blast shield down......" That implies that it indeed goes up. I say again, no way that shield would slide up in that helmet.

 

[astroboy]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

I always assumed that the helmet was like a welding mask

 

[Bryancd]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

I always assumed that the helmet was like a welding mask

...that you can't see through.

 

[astroboy]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

You can't see through a welding mask either until the weld begins.

 

[division 6]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

Vader was constantly gesturing because he had a different script.
DP liked to blab down at the local pub so he was fed fake scripts.
Since he was being dubbed it didn't matter what he said.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Re: ANH questions..robots/droids? Luke's Blastshield Helmet..the glimmer in Luke's Ey

The notion in the old Brian Daley Han Solo novels was that it was his remote for blaster practice. He'd use his blaster on stun to disable it ad it would stalk him through the ship with the lights low.

As for the helmet, I try to avoid the "impossible fit" argument in Star Wars. For all things save the interior of the Falcon. Remember for all its simple appearance the tech here is thousands of years ahead of us. I have no problem with the notion of it being some sort of memory material that's flexible when activated one way, to slide up into the housing, and rigid the other, to protect your face.

--Jonah